The Lion's Den
The Lion's Den book cover

The Lion's Den

Paperback – February 9, 2021

Price
$11.22
Format
Paperback
Pages
402
Publisher
Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1538733653
Dimensions
5.3 x 1.35 x 8 inches
Weight
11.2 ounces

Description

"Sex! Intrigue! Jealousy! Betrayal! Secrets! Batten down the book clubs, Katherine St. John is on deck! This dazzling novel is chock full of delicious characters, who flaunt their sins and peccadilloes, like the latest Birkin bag. Come aboard for a fabulous read, pure escape, beautifully written. Loved it!"― Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Tony's Wife "Katherine St. John's thrilling debut, THE LION'S DEN, gripped me from the first page. A breathtaking romp through the glamorous and decadent world of billionaires on the Riviera, this riveting tale of friendship and betrayal is sure to be the breakout hit of the summer. It is irresistibly wicked . . . I couldn't put it down!"― Kathryn Stockett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Help "St. John wraps a fun yarn around a sinister mystery . . . Toss in a dysfunctional family dynamic . . . and you're off to the regatta. After all, a vacation gone wrong is great fun, as long as you're not on it."― New York Times "Welcome to the bougiest of bougie settings . . . [a] juicy thriller."― Cosmopolitan magazine "[A] delicious read . . . brilliant."― Marie Claire magazine "Engrossing."― Entertainment Weekly "St. John's sizzling debut sparkles with yacht and fashion porn, and smart, decent Belle is easy to root for as the panic reaches its peak. Blingy, swingy fun plus a well-crafted, socially conscious suspense plot: Anchors aweigh!"― Kirkus "Katherine St. John's clever debut makes for the perfect escape."― CrimeReads "Once the story gets going, clever twists abound . . . Fans of Liane Moriarty and Jessica Knoll will devour this story of beautiful people with horrible secrets."― Booklist "This ultimate beach read has all the essentials you need for an escape: a billionaire boyfriend, a yacht, a Mediterranean background, and plenty of secrets to keep you guessing."― SmarterTravel "[A] title to watch."― Library Journal "Machiavellian . . . St. John dishes up a diverting poolside-ready page-turner."― Publishers Weekly " The Lion's Den has it all. Well-written characters, a great setting, twists and turns, and a story that you don't want to put down. It makes for a really fun summer thriller."― Red Carpet Crash "A good mystery keeps you guessing with an enticing plot and convincing characters, and St. John delivers that and much more in The Lion's Den . . . This is the guilty pleasure you won't feel the least bit guilty about."― BookTrib "The perfect, and I mean PERFECT, summer binge. Though I must say, it’s a great Mediterranean escape during the winter months."― Frolic Katherine St. John is a native of Mississippi and graduate of the University of Southern California. Over the years she has worked as an actress, screenwriter, director, photographer, producer, singer-songwriter, legal assistant, bartender-waitress, yoga instructor, real estate agent, and travel coordinator . . . but finds she likes writing novels best. Katherine currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

Features & Highlights

  • Sex, betrayal, and intrigue: A dream vacation on a luxurious yacht turns deadly in this pulse-pounding beach read "chock full of delicious characters who flaunt their sins . . . like the latest Birkin bag" (Adriana Trigiani).
  • Belle likes to think herself immune to the dizzying effects of fabulous wealth. But when her best friend, Summer, invites her on a glamorous getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend's yacht, the only sensible answer is
  • yes
  • . Belle hopes the trip will be a much-needed break from her stalled acting career and uniquely humiliating waitressing job, but once she's aboard the luxurious
  • Lion's Den
  • , it soon becomes clear this jet-setting holiday is not as advertised.Belle's dream vacation quickly devolves into a nightmare as she and the handful of other girls Summer invited are treated more like prisoners than guests by their controlling host—and in one terrifying moment, Belle comes to see Summer for who she truly is: a vicious gold digger who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.Belle realizes she's going to have to keep her wits about her—and her own big secret closely hidden—if she wants to make it off the yacht alive.
  • Includes a Reading Group Guide, exclusive epilogue, and sneak peak of Katherine St. John's next book,
  • The Siren
  • .

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(903)
★★★★
25%
(752)
★★★
15%
(451)
★★
7%
(211)
23%
(692)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Loved this story!

I enjoyed this story so much! It’s a really good mystery/drama involving pretty girls in their twenties who get to experience the luxuries of the rich when they are taken on a yacht vacation in the mediterranean. It was interesting to see how each character and their relationships developed through the book which was partially told through flashbacks. It was written beautifully and I would definitely recommend this book!
2 people found this helpful
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Wonderful book!!!

This was one of the best books I have ever read!!
I highly recommend!
1 people found this helpful
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Great ending but took forever to get there

After reading the siren I had a lot of high hopes for this book. It took what felt like forever to get to why Summer and Belle had issues, lots of leading on to what it could be until the 2nd half of the book. The last few chapters we finally got The Who, what, where and why of the book. I liked the ending but too much drama from past to present happening.
1 people found this helpful
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The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John 4/5 ⭐️

Belle, actress and all, doesn’t get caught up in the fame and fortune of the world. So when her best friend, Summer, wants to take her to the Mediterranean for a week aboard Summer’s boyfriend's yacht she is hesitant but undoubtedly says yes. The week is guaranteed to be extravagant and glamorous.

Belle and the other guests are showered with champagne and gifts but behind the cascade of offerings, something is suspicious. Belle’s dream vacation quickly becomes a nightmare and she doesn't know who she can trust. Belle begins to question Summer’s motives and the shady business deals happening in the corners of the yacht. After a tragic event, Belle knows she has to stay one step ahead of Summer if she wants to make it off the yacht alive.

The setting of this book was super fun and adventurous. Who wouldn’t want to go to the Italian Riviera on a yacht? I needed a break from the freezing cold and a chance to daydream of warm weather. This would be a great beach or poolside read. The good vs. evil duo between the main characters added tension and perplexity to the plot. I loved Belle and absolutely hated Summer! The flashbacks amped up the twists but the ending was too perfect for a thriller.
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150 pages too long.

The writer kept unnecessarily prolonging the story. Mostly boring.
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Would have been better as a movie

3.5 stars
CONTAINS SPOILERS
I really wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than I actually did. The beginning was actually very well done. It showed John’s controlling tendencies very clearly and it showed how Belle was the only one that had a brain. The characters were so shallow that I couldn’t tell whether it was very good character writing or the exact opposite. Summer was portrayed as the ultimate B-I-T-C-H and I truly felt myself hating her and hoping for her to get what she deserved throughout the entire book, so she was written very well. Amethyst had a lot of a potential as a character as well but she was turned into a character that’s just there to be used as a way for Summer’s deeds to come to light. The book itself had way too much going on as well. Every chapter just introduced more drama and it got to the point where that’s all it was, no actual plot line was seen until the end and that can be seen as brilliant writing, but it can also be seen as the story was just thrown together at the end. Overall this book just wasn’t for me, but I did love that Belle finally got good things in her life. I’m glad she found a beautiful relationship with Eric because I was rooting for them from the start, I love that her acting career became more successful and I love that she no longer has to struggled as she once did before. This book has a lot of potential, but it just dragged on too long and too much drama.
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Completely hooked from page one

I ordered this book at the suggestion of beach reads and bubbly on Instagram. I was totally and completely hooked from page one. Fantastic read, can’t wait to read another one of this authors books!
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What a ride!

This was dramatic and soapy! I had a lot of fun this one, I read it in a day. It truly is a perfect summer weekend read to escape into!
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Loved it!

A negative review helped me decide to read this book. All the things the reviewer said bothered them convinced me I would like it. I'm happy to say I was right. Not only did I like it, I loved it!

The Lion's Den is described as a mystery/thriller. I don't think it's like any I've read before. It has elements of both but is its own story. Maybe it's the writing but this book doesn't need to be pinned down as one thing. It's a very good book.

Rich (super rich) and not so rich friends gather on a yacht for a vacation in the Mediterranean. On the surface it's glitz and glamour. But there is something else going on and appearances are very deceiving. That includes everyone.

There are two timeliness. Chapters alternate between the present and past, starting from two years ago and moving closer to the present day. I am not always a fan of dual timelines but they worked perfectly to slowly open my eyes to what is going on in the present.

The writing was so good I could have kept reading just for it. The details of the fairy party were spectacular. Every scene was alive and full. Katherine St. John clearly has skills.

For fans of unlikable characters The Lion's Den has plenty. They are always interesting to read about and it's fun to just stand back and watch. Luckily there's more to the story than just people behaving badly. There's action, mystery, shocking behavior, and beauty. It's a very entertaining read that I highly recommend.
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Wow

Totally different than what I thought it would be. Chick lit meets mystery. I couldn’t put this one down.